Lithuanian intelligence has issued a warning regarding potential provocations by Russia and certain other former Soviet countries amid the upcoming observance of World War Two Victory Day on May 9.
“Recently, entities linked to the Kremlin regime have been actively conducting psychological-informational operations against Lithuania and other Baltic states, which include kinetic actions where various violations of legislation are purposefully committed,” the State Security Department (VSD) stated on Tuesday.
According to the VSD, these aggressive operations aim to influence and intimidate the public, sow panic, and disrupt the functioning of state institutions. The intelligence service emphasized that such campaigns typically exploit current events and significant historical dates to create narratives relevant to the targeted countries.
“It should be noted that informational-psychological attack campaigns are usually based on events that are relevant at the time in the targeted countries, and narratives are created using themes important for the public, as well as significant historical dates,” the VSD warned.
“Last year, monuments commemorating the anti-Soviet resistance in the Baltic states were purposely desecrated on the eve of May 9, ahead of the ‘Victory Day’ celebration in Russia. Intelligence services believe that the likelihood of similar attacks or provocations against various sites in Lithuania remains elevated in the near future,” it added.
According to the VSD, these aggressive operations aim to influence and intimidate the public, sow panic, and disrupt the functioning of state institutions. The intelligence service emphasized that such campaigns typically exploit current events and significant historical dates to create narratives relevant to the targeted countries.
“It should be noted that informational-psychological attack campaigns are usually based on events that are relevant at the time in the targeted countries, and narratives are created using themes important for the public, as well as significant historical dates,” the VSD warned.
“Last year, monuments commemorating the anti-Soviet resistance in the Baltic states were purposely desecrated on the eve of May 9, ahead of the ‘Victory Day’ celebration in Russia. Intelligence services believe that the likelihood of similar attacks or provocations against various sites in Lithuania remains elevated in the near future,” it added.
Moreover, the VSD reiterated concerns about hostile countries’ attempts to recruit citizens of Lithuania and other Baltic states for carrying out such provocations or attacks.
“Social media is increasingly being used for this purpose as advertisements are constantly appearing, stating that persons are wanted to spy for a fee, for example, to take pictures of strategically important infrastructure or military facilities and collect data on individuals, or to carry out acts of sabotage or vandalism,” the VSD said in the statement.
The intelligence service urged the public to report any social media posts offering financial incentives for vandalism or other violations of Lithuanian law.
It is important to note that while Europe commemorates the end of World War Two on May 8, Russia and certain other post-Soviet countries mark Victory Day on May 9.
“Social media is increasingly being used for this purpose as advertisements are constantly appearing, stating that persons are wanted to spy for a fee, for example, to take pictures of strategically important infrastructure or military facilities and collect data on individuals, or to carry out acts of sabotage or vandalism,” the VSD said in the statement.
The intelligence service urged the public to report any social media posts offering financial incentives for vandalism or other violations of Lithuanian law.
It is important to note that while Europe commemorates the end of World War Two on May 8, Russia and certain other post-Soviet countries mark Victory Day on May 9.
Source: lrt.it
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